Donald Trump has hit new lows with this appeasement of Russia, betrayal of Ukraine | Opinion

National security

President Donald Trump is a danger to national security. He has violated international law by threatening annexation of other countries; forced entry into classified data violating the privacy and safety of all Americans; placed unqualified persons in charge of national justice, public health, intelligence, security, and defense; dismantled all essential agencies that maintain vital government operations; and recklessly fired those in charge of nuclear weapons. These acts destabilize and endanger the United States, and infringe the Constitution’s mandate to “establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, [and] promote the general welfare” of our country.

Trump is now formally aligning with, and actively supporting, a war criminal and enemy of the United States, Vladimir Putin. Trump is defending his treasonous actions by publicizing brainwashing propaganda against our strategic partner, Ukraine. His actions jeopardize the bond of trust between the U. S. and our allies.

Trump recently stripped the security briefings and clearance from President Joe Biden and General Mark Milley and other high-level officials who have kept our country safe. Why would he do such a thing??? This is NOT innocent! We need to act NOW! U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. and other MAGA Congress members are already bowing to Putin.

Beverly Johnson-Miller, Lexington

Alternate reality

President Donald Trump’s most Orwellian claim of 2025 was released on Feb. 10: “I pardoned people who were assaulted themselves. They were assaulted by our government… So no, I didn’t assault. They didn’t assault. They were assaulted, and what I did was a great thing for humanity.” The Huffington Post reports “more than 140 police officers defending the Capitol from Trump’s mob were injured that day, some gravely.”

We all watched on video what actually happened. To say the rioters were attacked is incredible nonsense and disrespects those who were trying to maintain order and protect government property. In Mein Kampf, Hitler writes: “Better by far to tell ‘the big lie’… the broad masses of people can be more easily corrupted. They more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie.”

Trump’s perverted revision recalls the Kremlin’s outlandish claim that Putin’s war is the fault of Ukraine. Russia has routinely denied bombing hospitals and civilian buildings, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Ukraine of staging bombing incidents—even the entire massacre at Bucha - describing how actors posed as dead bodies. We need to object to autocrats who try to create an alternate reality.

Michael Worley, Lexington

Peace or appeasement?

President Donald Trump has prominently claimed an approach of “peace through strength.” But things are playing out very differently. The Trump administration now says Ukraine needs to give up territory and drop its hope to join NATO. Further, the administration announced that the U.S. will no longer prioritize its commitment to security in Europe at all -- something which has been a bedrock of stability and peace since World War II.

These are fulsome concessions, giving Russia a lot of what it has wanted all along. With the U.S. stepping back, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will have an open road toward new aggression. This is as far from “peace through strength” as could be imagined. It actually appears to be appeasement, much reminiscent of Britain’s concessions at Munich in 1938, accepting Hitler’s aggression. And we know how that turned out.

As in other policy areas, Trump brands himself with impressive talk (“peace through strength”), but his actions are leading in a different and horrible direction.

David Farris, Lexington

Win or lose

For President Donald Trump, a political contest (or any other contest) is digital, not analog. Either you win or you lose - the margin is inconsequential. People talk about a mandate or lack of a mandate. Trump doesn’t care whether he won by one vote or one million votes. The only thing that matters to him is that he won and he’s going to act the same way regardless of the margin!

So, if you expected him to moderate his behavior because of his relatively thin margin of victory, you are bound to be disappointed. When people talk about all the “political capital” that Trump’s expending when he pardons criminals, they don’t understand that’s a foreign concept to him. He simply does what his brain tells him to do and, if you don’t like it, you’re just a loser and your opinion doesn’t matter anyway.

Welcome to his (and our) dystopian world.

Jim Porter, Danville

Stable genius

I have known a lot of smart people in my time. The one thing they all had in common was that none of them ever felt the need to tell me how smart they were, because it was obvious.

In contrast we have President Donald Trump repeatedly bragging about how smart he is and using the fact that he was able to pass an Alzheimer’s disease test as proof. That’s certainly questionable.

Now Trump plans to impose tariffs on all goods imported into the U.S., thinking he can eliminate the federal income tax by having foreign governments pay the tariffs. A smart person would realize tariffs are paid by the importer, not the exporter, and foreign governments play no part in it. Instead, Trump’s plan will increase prices and increase the inflation rate, becoming a huge sales tax paid for by the average American consumer.

Trump also wants to lay off thousands of gainfully employed taxpayers who are government employees and deport millions of undocumented immigrants who are also mostly gainfully employed taxpayers. A smart person would understand that this will cause a huge increase in the unemployment rate and a big reduction of income tax revenue which will cause larger government deficits.

Kevin Kline, Lexington

Tariff math

President Donald Trump is missing a golden opportunity in his tariff program which should lead to his consideration for a Nobel Prize. Since he has explained that it is actually the countries who are the targets of his tariffs and who pay the tariffs (and not the U.S. consumers), why not raise the tariffs to 100 percent rather than 25 percent? That way we should be able to import the goods for free, at no cost to US consumers, with the exporting countries paying the entire bill and paying us to take their products.

Who said tariffs are a such a bad thing?

Charles Myers, Lexington

Bishop Budde

It’s been more than a month since Bishop Mariann Budde’s news making sermon during the National Prayer Service on January 21st. Still, some are asking what made her sermon so provocative.

On first hearing this sermon it sounded fair enough to me. I needed to read it in print a couple times after that. Then, I thought I saw one reason why Republicans, Democrats, and Independents heard it differently.

The subject of this sermon was said to be national unity at the beginning, but near the end, it cited the concerns of some Americans while leaving out the concerns of others.

So, I asked myself, should Bishop Budde have included homeless people, unemployed people, working people struggling to pay rent, people denied medical care, neglected children, and other people-at-risk in her appeal to President Donald Trump to show compassion in his decisions?

Reading this sermon one more time, I’ve come to believe Bishop Budde should have broadened her appeal.

Tom Louderback, Louisville

Dinosaur Mitch

Poor Kentucky she’s stuck with a fossil named Mitchosaurus (U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.) who’s living in an age far past his usefulness. If he was a gentleman, he would recognize his obsolescence, be honorable, and step aside before further tarnishing his name. He’s radically out of step with the political will of Kentuckians and national moods against big government in general.

As a Republican, you would think he would work within the party structure but as a “has been” leader his ego demands attention right or wrong! McConnell comes from an antiquated class of politicians, both parties, who’ve watched as the American taxpayers have been robbed to pay for a corrupt foreign welfare service across the world.

As our government has demanded more taxes from citizens, they’ve given gratuitously to nations that hate us. Heck, we’ve been paying money to Hamas, the Taliban and other terrorist groups while the IRS screams for “peanuts” from hard working taxpayers. It’s wrong. Mitch and old school politics are the problem. It’s sad Kentucky doesn’t have political recall as we could replace this Mesozoic replica.

John Adams said it best, “In politics the middle way is none at all!”

Robert Adams, Lexington

Congressional job

I contacted U.S. Rep. Andy Barr’s, R-Ky., office to get a schedule of the town hall meetings where he would explain the methodology and findings of the DOGE operation. I was shocked to discover there were none planned.

It would seem a person trying to upgrade his position in the legislative branch would like to be seen as competent in his previous position, but this does not seem to be the case.

Congress is charged with the power of the purse, but Barr seems to be fine with a convicted criminal having his way unquestioned.

Kerry Kearns, Nicholasville

Ky Virtual Academy

It’s imperative that our state keep the Kentucky Virtual Academy open. I have a very sick 8-year-old daughter who cannot attend school in person because she has multiple chronic conditions, including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, hypothyroidism, endocrine pancreatic insufficiency and more.

The last school she attended was in the Fleming County School District, but she was bullied relentlessly because she wears braces and a helmet. Once we transferred her to KYVA, she began to thrive. Her teachers understand her medical challenges and created a learning environment that ensured she’d reach her full potential.

Honestly, KYVA is our only hope. That’s what made Gov. Andy Beshear’s State Board of Education’s decision to cut enrollment from its 2,800 students to less than 30 gut-wrenching for us. How in the world is this fair? Government is now asking our school to pick winners and losers. Why should my daughter be a loser? Or any other parent’s child? This is disgusting.

I truly hope my legislators will step in to save KYVA for my daughter and all of our KYVA children. My daughter is ill and has major health issues. She doesn’t have any other school. Stop this now.

Barbara Borst, Flemingsburg

We are sorry

Dear World,

We are sorry.

What you are seeing from the United States right now does not represent who we are. It does not reflect the values we hold dear, nor does it define the spirit of our people. The rhetoric, the one-sided decisions, the division—they are not the voice of all of us. In fact, for many of us, they are the opposite of what we believe.

All my life, I have believed that humanity is moving toward a broader, more connected perspective, one in which we recognize that we are not just citizens of individual nations but citizens of Earth. Our challenges—climate change, diminishing natural resources, the health of our air, soil, and water—are not confined by borders. They demand cooperation, compassion, and a shared responsibility.

We know that words and actions matter, that leadership should uplift rather than divide, and that the world is watching. Please know that many of us are watching, too. We are standing up, speaking out, and working for something better.

He does not speak for us. He does not represent us. And though this moment is painful, it will not define us.

We remain committed to a future where collaboration prevails over isolation, where progress is driven by empathy and reason, and where the bonds between people are stronger than the forces that seek to break them.

Tom Wilmes, a Citizen of Earth

Trump voters

I’m so glad that nothing President Donald Trump does can harm me. I wish I could feel sorry for the people who voted for him. I know that people who believe in God say I’m supposed to, but I can’t. Nobody could have predicted that Trump would purposefully drive his train off its rails like this. Though his 2025 bucket list of “Things To Do” was crazy as hell, even to his own base, the actions he’s been taken are more devastating than anyone could ever imagine.

You know Trump has ruffled some feathers when U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, and Tom Cotton, R-Ark. start speaking out against his cabinet picks! Trump putting inexperienced billionaires into key cabinet positions is upsetting even seasoned congressional Republicans. He’s trying to deport everybody who isn’t here legally - even “Dreamers.” He’s fired everybody who’s job it was to make United States government entities behave themselves, because he doesn’t want any government agencies to provide any oversight over anything!

BUMP SOME DAMN LAWS! THAT’S HOW OUR PRESIDENT FEELS! OMG! I pray these next four years pass with lightning speed!

Yolanda Averette, Lexington

Edited by Liz Carey

This story was originally published February 20, 2025 at 11:29 AM.